Els Sticking To Data Over Personality For His Captaincy Wisdom

Even though Ernie Els believed certain pairings were a given based on personalities, his 15th Club-supplied data has said otherwise.

As Ben Everill reports for PGATour.com, the International team’s awful record in this event means Els has to side with the data over his gut.

Els won’t reveal his International pairings until Wednesday afternoon (Tuesday midnight ET) when the five Four-Ball matches are revealed, but he’s not about to waver. Data takes precedent over personality.

“I just have to keep my head down and keep stressing to the team it is about just that -- the team,” Els said. “The guys know where they stand. It’s very clear of what we expect and what we are doing on Thursday and Friday, especially.

“I have changed a little bit here and there where if a guy is not far off and they fit personality-wise, but I am really sticking to my data. We have to try something different. We have to play the guys where the planning points.”

Now we’ll get to see just how much analytics compete on a stage like Royal Melbourne.

Presidents Cup: Who Gets The Joyful Task Of Playing With Patrick Reed?

I suppose Tiger Woods may take Patrick Reed on as a playing partner and as Captain, it’s his call.

But even Woods may have to abandon his Captain’s pick after an embarrassing brush with integrity and stick him with someone else.

Patrick Cantlay, who has played with Reed in the Zurich Classic and has the demeanor to deal with whatever might come Reeds’ way in Melbourne, seems the best candidate.

We discussed on Morning Drive today:

Video: Royal Melbourne Composite Course Overview

While this is not a deep dive into the intricacies of the magnificent Royal Melbourne, the use of a composite course this week might confuse. There are twelve West Course holes and six from the East, and the place is firm and fiery according to Ian Ransom in this Reuters preview story.

So if you’re interested in a sense of the routing and holes in play, this YouTube posted effort by ProVisualizer should help you get a sense of place, scale and the holes used.

Of course, the very details that make the place great aren’t always evident. Just take the first hole, a simple looking drive and pitch in this, but filled with so many fascinating elements due to the green’s pitch away from the fairway. I have many fond memories of watching matches tackle this hole in 2011 and highly recommend spectators set up shop there. (Speaking of that, tickets for all days are still available…)

Cam Smith: Hopes Presidents Cup Fans "Absolutely Give It" To Patrick Reed

Jacob Polychronis of Fox Sports shares the shockingly blunt assessment of International Presidents Cup team member Cameron Smith

Speaking after the final round of the Australian Open, Smith issued a forceful statement regarding Reeds’ lame blaming of camera angles.

“If you make a mistake maybe once you can maybe understand, but to give a bit of a bull***t response like the camera angle – I mean, that’s pretty up there,” Smith said.

“I hope the crowd absolutely gives it to not only him but everyone (from team America) next week.”

Marc Leishman issued a similar endorsement, though his tone was far less forceful.

If only we knew what was going on behind the scenes…in the PGA Tour fines department. Just wondering: are Smith and Leishman going to get fined for encouraging heckling of a peer, while lie-improver Reed goes unfined?

The policies of the PGA Tour will never let us know.

Either way, Thursday’s first session just got more interesting.

How Tiger Keeps Things Interesting, A Theory

Playing as a cup team Captain is a feat. And an annoyance he did not need.

As is selecting Patrick Reed when you did not have to do so for a Presidents Cup team, particularly just a year removed from Reed’s 2018 Ryder Cup controversy (and awful play).

All I can conclude is that Tiger is making the 2019 Presidents Cup interesting for himself.

After all, he’s kind of been there, done that with just about everything in the game. Another Presidents Cup is not going to get his competitive juices flowing. But play as a captain and try to rehab Patrick Reed…now that’s a challenge. My Golfweek column.

Captain America Is (Already!?) Back: Patrick Reed Gets A Presidents Cup Pick A Year After Ryder Cup Debacle

A year removed from questioning his Ryder Cup pairing with Tiger Woods and generally stinking up the joint in Paris, Patrick Reed gets one of four picks for the 2019 Presidents Cup.

There they are, the four selected: Tony Finau, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland and Tiger Woods.

Steve DiMeglio on Tiger choosing himself.

Els Makes His Captain's Picks, Does The Best With What He's Got To Work With

The race to make Ernie Els’ International squad didn’t exactly yield any thrilling breakout performances this fall, making Captain Els’ job of filling out the team a tough task. But thanks to some fall play from Joaquin Niemann and Adam Hadwin, the 2019 Presidents Cup team was filled out with two formful types who should fit Royal Melbourne well.

This is not to diminish Jason Day’s win in the MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins.

Not surprisingly, Day and Sungjae Im got the other two nods on earlier play and career credibility, as Adam Schupak reports for Golfweek.

Hadwin was the longest shot picked but a great one given his game, style and the venue.

Canadian Adam Hadwin, 32, competed on the 2017 International Team at Liberty National (0-2-1). He ranked 18th in the standings, but made a late charge racking up top-5 finishes at the Safeway Open (2nd) and Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (T-4) in September.

“I’m happy that it was a good phone call for me,” he said. “Having been on the team once before and experienced it and gone through what we went through in New York and Ernie being there as well, I’m that much more familiar with everything going on and that much more prepared.”

Bum Knees Unite: Tiger Understands If Brooks Has To Bow Out Of Presidents Cup

The buried lede in Tiger’s comments from Japan: world No. 1 Brooks Koepka is weighing a possible surgery to repair the knee he re-injured last week in the CJ Cup.

The main headline, for now, is Woods leaving things up to Koepka to decide if he’s Presidents Cup worthy, depending on “what his protocols are going forward,” Tiger said.

From Steve DiMeglio’s Golfweek story quoting Tiger on news of Koepka’s injury:

“As of right now, we’re just waiting on what the surgeon says and what Brooks is going to do,” Woods added. “He is getting other opinions on what are his options. You want to go through as many different opinions as you possibly can before you decide what you are going to do.

“I told him to take his time. No hurry. You’re part of the team. You earned your way in the top eight spots. You’re on the team. You have to figure out what is best for your career and your knee and if you decide you can’t play, great. I totally understand. We’ll cross that bridge when it comes.”

Tripp Isenhour and I discussed this run of left knees going back today on Golf Central:

Mickelson Concedes His Epic Cup Appearance Streak Is Coming To An End

Of the many incredible “streaks” in golf history, few speak to a level of consistency over nearly 25 years than Phil Mickelson’s Cup run. Since 1994 he has played on every Presidents and Ryder Cup team.

Sean Martin reporting on Mickelson’s pre-CJ Cup press conference concession that a 2019 Presidents Cup Captain’s pick is unlikely and undeserved.

“There are much better options of players that have played consistently at a high level that deserve to be on the team,” Mickelson told reporters at the CJ Cup. “Even if I were to win, I have not done enough to warrant a pick.

In that time, Mickelson has won 21.5 Ryder Cup points and 32.5 Presidents Cup points.

He holds the record for most matches played in the Ryder Cup, most appearances and is just two points shy of Billy Casper’s all time American mark.

Tiger Reveals Plenty About His Presidents Cup Plans

Usually Captain blog entries are full of fluff and merely part of the job as outlined in whatever agreement the cart drivers sign to fetch bananas and pick out rainsuits.

But Tiger Woods’ latest blog post updating his Presidents Cup thoughts telegraphs more than I would have expected about December’s much-anticipated match at Royal Melbourne.

Before we get to the meaty stuff that matters, the initial post included this unfortunate mistake that was not picked up by the Ponte Vedra Senior VP of Microediting.

Of course there are many innocent explanations for Viktor Hovland’s inclusion: he speaks better English than most Americans! And with a nice Oklahoma twang. And he’s kind of looking like one of the best players on the planet right now.

However, he’s 2020 Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington’s to have since the Norwegian on his squad than Tiger does of bringing Mr. 64 (another one Sunday at Greenbrier) to Melbourne.

For starters, it’s clear now that Tiger’s play in Japan this fall (Zozo, skins game with Rory) will determine whether he is the first playing captain since Hale Irwin:

While I was disappointed to not earn one of the top 8 spots, I’m hopeful to perform well at my next start in Japan. In the meantime, I’m going to rely on playing with some of the guys in Florida to stay sharp. I’ll practice hard, work on my game, and we'll have some matches. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also always fun.

He later signed the blog post with this, as I believe he’s done before:

Maybe I’m reading to much into thoughts that I know Tiger slaved over while doing his nightly novel writing at the computer, but Kevin Kisner seems a more logical addition to the team given his recent match play record.

There are so many guys who are world-class players who aren’t yet on the team like Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth and many more.

Thankfully, he remains high on Royal Melbourne and how much the players will enjoy it.

The guys will thoroughly enjoy the fact that the ball runs. It'll move on the fairways and it'll move on the greens. Some of the guys who have played events in the Sandbelt in the past will tell you it’s one of the best collections of golf courses on the planet. It’s really a unique experience and some of the greatest golf you play.

I can’t wait to feel the atmosphere at Royal Melbourne. Melbourne is one of the greatest sporting cities in the world and I know their fans will turn out to watch another great Presidents Cup. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, make sure you head to PresidentsCup.com.

Now there’s a buried lede: good seats still available. While supplies last.

Perhaps sales are lagging since my visit to PresidentsCup.com this evening was producing an error message, but according to Ticketmaster, weekly badges are AU$530 and weekend dailies go for AU$155, about $364 an $106 in US dollars.

Tiger Will Consult Others On Whether To Pick Tiger For The Presidents Cup

From Tiger Woods’ Monday teleconference after the first eight spots on the 2019 Presidents Cup teams were solidified, as reported by Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio:

And he said he won’t be pressured – not by the PGA Tour or TV executives – to pick himself.

“My job as the captain is to put together the best team possible and try and put together the best 12 guys,” he said. “We’ll be going through the whole process of having open communication with our top eight guys and my vice captains. That is something that we will certainly talk about, whether I should play or not play.

“Ultimately it’s going to be my call whether I do play or not as the captain. But I want to have all of their opinions before that decision is made.”

Oh boss, you’re game looks great, I’d pick you if I were captain!

Here are the eight USA participants who can be fitted for a sports coat they’ll wear once.

And the International’s first eight with three Aussies on the team.

Tiger Trying To Play His Way Onto Presidents Cup Team He Can't Actually Make This Week

Ok so now we know he’s more of the Fred Couples, laissez faire, positive figurehead Captain than say, the Azinger details guy. But hey, he’s Tiger Woods and the Presidents Cup is not until December.

Mathmatically eliminated from making the 2019 team on points—even with a win this week—Captain Woods talked about trying to play his way on via the BMW Championship.

“I’m trying like hell to make the team on my own. To just be part of the core group of guys. Obviously, I have some work to do. I gotta play well this week to make that happen. But if not, it’s going to come down to the top eight guys, myself and my vice captains for who are the next four slots. Whether that’s me and three other guys, or it’s four other guys, either way, I’m going to Australia, whether I’ll be playing or not.”

He has until October to make the four captain’s picks, which will have to include picking himself if he plans to be the first playing captain since Hale Irwin.

Prospective 2019 Presidents Cup Team Gathers; Spieth Absent But For Some Reason Billy Horschel Is There

There is absolutely nothing to read whatsoever into this gathering of possible 2019 Presidents Cup team members convening in advance of the Northern Trust, except that Patrick Reed missed the memo on wearing a scripted Nike outfit and, I suppose, the absence of Jordan Spieth (29th in points). It’s hard to picture a team without Spieth given what a huge role he’s played on recent Cup squads.

Meanwhile Billy Horschel, 18th in points with one career major championship top 10, 10 missed cuts in 25 majors and a 0-0-0 record in the Ryder and Presidents Cup, must have been walking by and was invited in?

Tiger’s Tweet:

Excited to get prep for @PresidentsCup going. It’s going to be a big two weeks for these guys. Let’s get to work. pic.twitter.com/2lrzwthpdg

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) August 7, 2019

Els Names Four More Cart Drivers, Looks To Analytics For Pairings

Even though it’s in December, never too early to start fitting K.J. Choi, Mike Weir and Trevor Immelman for their Presidents Cup Club Car’s to tootle around Royal Melbourne. They join Geoff Ogilvy as captain Ernie Els’ assistant captains.

But Els said when naming them that he’s going to join the analytics wave, reports Dan Kilbridge:

“I’ve seen what other captains have done in the past,” Els said. “In this instance, I really wanted to try and start a new thinking process around the pairing system. I’m using a lot of data, a lot of science into what we’re going to be doing in December in Australia, and I wanted to get guys who have played a lot of Presidents Cups like myself.”

I believe the science has found that the International team has not won since 1998.

Presidents Cup A Year Out: Els Expects Tiger To Be A Playing Captain, Creates Team Logo, Ogilvy Gets Keys To A Club Car, Scott Assured A Spot

A year out from the Presidents Cup there is no reason to be interested in the biennial event except that a return to Royal Melbourne and Australia makes it a top event on the calendar. Couple that with Tiger Woods and Ernie Els captaining and it should get golf geek pulses up around late next September.

But…the ISPS Handa World Cup just finished at Metropolitan where Els appeared to promote next year’s matches.

His unveiling of a team logo is meant to help bring the Internationals closer together and to prevent the rest of us from having to look at the team wearing Cup-logoed gear. Attractive maybe, comprehendible it is not (see above).

“It’s a special group of guys from all over the world that make up the Presidents Cup International Team,” Els said. “Being from across the globe, we don’t all play for the same flag. This special group of people needed something to identify with. To lift the spirit of the team, we felt like we needed a logo for ourselves.”

The Els announcement of Geoff Ogilvy as a vice captain was welcome news given that he now lives on the host course and played in the 2011 Presidents Cup. An AP story on Ogilvy’s naming.

As was the intriguing prediction by Els that he expects Tiger to be a playing captain. Judging by how his audio gear seemed to annoy at The Match, don’t count on Woods to be wearing an IFB while playing Royal Melbourne.

Evin Priest with the story on Els’ prediction for next year and an assurance that Adam Scott will be on the team.

"[Scott] is going to be on the team, no doubt about that," Els said.

Ok, we’re down to eleven spots. That’s news!